Why was AEW banned from paying tribute to Jay Briscoe after his death?
Condolences and tributes poured in yesterday after news of Jay Briscoe’s untimely death rattled the pro-wrestling industry. The 38-year-old veteran wrestler was a beloved figure, having performed in multiple promotions and gained huge respect wherever he went.
WWE also paid its condolences to the deceased star. In fact, Triple H went the distance to show respect for Joe Briscoe and even broke corporate barriers. Briscoe never wrestled for WWE, yet they featured a tribute on NXT, and superstars like Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes took to Twitter to share their heartfelt messages.
News of Jay Briscoe’s death came to light from All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan. Khan gave his condolences to the 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champion on Twitter.
Sadly, AEW wasn’t able to give their regards on the matter. During the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer pointed out that the company was outright banned by Warner Bros Discovery Inc. media from using the entire show as a tribute to Jay Briscoe.
“There was a graphic at the start of the show (Dynamite) and at the very end of the show, there was a mention by Excalibur. A lot of the guys had armbands but there was not any kind of big tribute because they were not allowed by WarnerMedia (Warner Bros. Discovery) to do one.”
To answer the question of why Warner Bros. banned AEW's segment, it seems like the company hasn’t forgotten about Briscoe’s controversial statements. Jay was banned from AEW television, but he did repeatedly apologize for his mistake on various platforms.
Despite his statements, Jay Briscoe continued to perform for Ring of Honor and bag multiple championships. His last fight in the promotion was alongside his brother Mark at ROH Final Battle 2022, where the Briscoe Brothers defeated Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood to win the Tag Team Titles.
WWE NXT scrapped plans, held tribute segment for Jay Briscoe instead
WWE acknowledged the death of Jay Briscoe who passed away in a car accident today.
Class act 🙏❤️ https://t.co/ReWua68dqs
Having won the hearts of fans all around the globe, WWE’s class act of paying respect to Briscoe was part of a sudden change of plans.
Current NXT Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods (The New Day) were supposed to hold a funeral segment to mock Pretty Deadly's title shot. After news of the ROH star's passing came to light, the segment was scrapped. Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels then replaced it with a tribute to the late star.
In an emotional message, Seth Rollins credited Jay Briscoe for assisting him throughout his career. More on that here.